Rejection is the name of the game.

photo cred: shinebythree

Lately, I have been getting a lot of doors closed in my face. In my case, I don't necessarily consider it a bad thing, but definitely moments that make me stronger and a step closer to getting where I plan to go. I don't know if I have ever shared this on my blog, but my dream is to become a celebrity wardrobe stylist. I want to dress  celebrities for events like the Golden Globes and the Oscars, but don't we all? My plan is quite different though because it's more than a dream; more like a path that I am trying to stay on. I have faith that I will attain this goal and one day, it will no longer be a dream. I don't care if I have to run a styling consulting agency out of my garage, I will do it because it's my passion. But, the road to get there is far from easy. In my years of undergrad (which I am still in), I intend to do as much as I can to build my portfolio. I use my blog as well as my other resources and connections to continuously WORK! During this time, I have received a lot of corrective criticism, which comes with the territory I suppose. 

I recently reached out to Blog and the City for an opportunity to be one of their main blogs for Dallas. Sidebar: I'm known for biting off more than I can chew. Honestly, I didn't know much about the prestige of this blog as I found out about them through a message on Independent Fashion Blogger. I felt like I had a pretty good blog and that being on this site would be beneficial to me. However, when I received an email from the editor, she said that she wanted me to improve my skills in photography a bit more and gain more experience. Fact: I have been blogging since 2009, however, it covered a wide range of ideas and I wanted to narrow the subject matter down to fashion. Just fashion. Then about 3 in a half months ago, I created my current blog (which you are reading right now). So, I'm not a new blogger, but it appears to be that way. Now, I'm not going to lie, I did feel slightly discouraged by her personal input on the photography on my blog. I hope that this in turn, motivates other bloggers that may be having this same problem. I shoot my outfit of the day posts with a Nikon d5100 with a 18-55 mm zoom. No extras (i.e. telephoto lens, wide-angle lens) nothing. My camera was a gift and I was so excited to receive it and I just knew that it would make my blog so much better. But, the blogging world is highly competitive because there will always be a fashion blogger with an expendable budget. Me, on the other hand, I am living paycheck to paycheck. The feeling of rejection was not so steep in this matter because I wanted to be better, and I want to make myself "good enough" to be a representative on this blog for the southern region. So, my savings toward more advanced camera equipment starts now (preferably the Canon 7d). After speaking with the helpful Blog and the City representative I realized that I have a lot to improve on especially creating more vivid and in-depth posts. Might I add, Blog and the City were very helpful to me and answered all of my millions of questions and I appreciate that!

Why do I want to be a representative for the southern region?

Well it's no secret that most of the fashion icons are not recognized in the southern region. Moreso, we see fashion praised on the east and west coast and in foreign countries, not so much in the Southern region of the United States. My second reason is that I want to become a black fashion icon for the southern region. It's no secret of the dominating race of high fashion. I don't want to settle for working at JC Penney's (no offense) when I know that I have the ethic to work for Maison Martin Margiela or Suno. But, I have to have more than the talk, I need to walk the walk (so cliche, I know). I want to exceed even my own expectations. 

And that is also why rejection is the bump in the road that makes my tires stronger rather than weaker (see I'm making up my own parables now?). I will one day acquire the press I desire and my blog will be a reference of where I came from. Now, I'm not saying this to sound over-confident or boastful by any means. These are just my thoughts on rejection and if you are planning to enter an industry like fashion, these are the obstacles to plan for and the backbone that has to be in place. 

Thanks for reading, and I hope that I could be of motivation to you!

Chelcie